Tuscany in the spring: still a massive favourite with the discerning traveller.

29/01/2011

Visit Tuscany in April or May and you’re virtually guaranteed beautiful warm weather that’s not too hot to leave you struggling to ‘get up and go’ to see all the wonderful must-stop sites on your list. Chosen as this year’s best spring destination by BBC Travel, Lucca makes a great base to visit this adored Italian region. Blue skies, lush valleys ablaze with wild flowers and shimmering orange-red rooftops put you in a feel-good mood from dawn to sunset, enhanced by a morning cappuccino and cornetto (croissant), a mid-morning gelato and a succulent pasta lunch washed down with a glass of Chianti.

Save your pennies, or euro cents, by visiting the Cattedrale di San Martino (admission free), with its marbled sculptured façade and late-Gothic interior containing a painting of The Last Supper by Tintoretto, the flower market in the medieval Piazza dell'Anfiteatro and walk Lucca's complete two-and-a-half-mile sturdy city walls for shifting views of the town, particularly impressive at sunset.

Book a cheap flight with Ryanair or easyJet to nearby Pisa. It’s about half an hour's drive or train ride to Lucca. Alitalia and British Airways also fly to Pisa. Spring is still low season so find a cheap deal and avoid the holiday crowds that invade Tuscany in July and August.